Washing apparatus



Iuly 25, 1939.` H. E. PAGE WASHINGV APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet .1

Filed April 5, 1937 l 111 1 r11-r 'Alnfl/I 11 111,

INVENTOR.

July 25, 1939. H. E PAGE 2,167,086-

WASHING APPARATUS Filed April 5, A193'? 2 sheets-sheet 2 .WAM

@v .Jij .1

INV ENTOR.

INKT.

luaitenied *.luljzs', 1939 v,umrizo STATES-PATENT omer:

alsmaar" wAsnnrG ArPAnA'rUs Herbert s. Page, symwgN. Y. f ApplicationApn's, 1931, serial No. 135,050

4 claims. (ci. ss-zai This invention appertains to cleaning machines andparticularly to those in which the articles to be cleaned dol not haveto -be moved from one container to' another. during theentire cycle ofthe cleaning operation.

-It has for its object a simple and compact arrangement in a casing' ofthe various compartments for washing and extracting and fory theactuating and motion transmitting mecha; -nisms.

It also has for its object a simple and efficient means for cleaning and4extracting the cleaning uid from the articles being cleaned'without thenecessity ofv the operator having to handle said articles during theabove operations.

Another object is to provide means for elimil nating or greatly reducingthe vibration during vFigure 1 is an enlarged sectional view takenapproximately on the plane of line I-I Figure 2.

Figure 2 isv a front elevation, partly brokenaway, oi this machine, thedoors being shown .as 0pen.'

Figures 3 and 4 are detail views of the rotary driving member and thedriving clutch section, illustrating the adjustable link connectionbetween said driving part and the driving clutch thereon.

Figure 5 is a detail view of one of the pulleys used when rotating theagitator and clothes container at extracting speed showing thefreewheeling cr over-running clutch therein.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view of the clutch, Y

between the agitator and the clothes container and between theclothescontainer and the bottom of the compartment for thewashing liquid..

The lnventioncomprises, generally, a washing apparatus includinga casingformed with a compartment for receiving a washing liquid, or a rinsingliquid, ua.V clothes container' or basket 4 mounted in the casing, anagitator extending into the container with the container and agitatorbeing mounted to move about a common upright axis with the agitatorsuspended from the top wall of the compartment, so as to seek its ownaxis ot rotation, actuating means connected to the agitator to oscillateit about its axis or to v rotate it about its axis, with suitable meansfor controlling the operation' of the agitator asto oscillation androtation, and means operable to hold the container from movement withthe agitator or to connect the container to theaglltator to move aboutan axis.asa unit therewith.` The wasmng nquid may be water-.with ofwithout asuitable soap or solvent, or any othersolvent, as

a dry cleaning iiuid. l

During the washing operation, the, agitator is .oscillated, the clothescontainer is held from Vmovement therewith, so that the clothes areagitated within the container.\ During the extracting or dryingoperation, the clothes container or basket is clutched to the agitatorto rotate as a unit therewith, the E,rotation being at a comparativelyhigh extracting speed. During the extracting operation, a drain passageleading froml the washing compartment is opened, and the valve for thisdrain passage is controlled by the mechanism, which operates to` clutchthe container to the agitator ory to unclutch it from the agitator andhold the same stationary. This operating means operates to close thisvalve dur# ing the washing operation, when the'container is unolutchedfrom the agitator, and to open the valve when the container is clutchedto the agitator. Preferably, the casing of the apparatus is a unitarystructure with a washing compartment having a door or doors in its frontthrough which the clothes are loaded and unloaded into and out-of thebasket or container, compartments below the clothes compartment into'oneof which thev liquid from the clothes compartment may be drained, and inthe other of which the l'notor` and two sets of metio-n transmittingmeans are located. The easing also includes a rear compartment leadingfrom the lower compartment in which the motor is located, through whicha motion transmitting lrneirnber extends, this being connected to theagitator through another motion transmitting member which. er:nl tendsinto the upper portion of theV washing compartment.` TheV draincompartment in theV lower part of the casing maynhave a suitable drain.valve and also may be provided witlLa pump of any suitable descriptionlor transferring the liquid from the drain compartment baci'. up intothe washing compartment, if desired'for re-use. l In said drawings. lyis the casing, and in the lower rear portion of said casing is mountedthe motori 2,"f'which is here shown as connected by means of a worm andgear reduction unit 3 tothe shaft 4, Figure 1. 5 At the top of the shaft4 is mounted a driving part or disk 5 having a crank pin '6 so mountedin a slot in the disk 5 that said crank pin 6 may be fixed at variousradialdistances from the center of the disk 5 lby means of theadjustment handle 1 for *purposes presently to be described,

Figure 1. f A connecting rod or link 8 connectsl the pin 6 with a crankpin- 9 on the driving section or pan I0' of a cone clutch, said panbeing mounted so as 5 to revolve freely on the lower end of a shaft II,I

Figure 1. l

A driven clutch section, as a cone I2, adapted to engage with thedriving clutch section or pan I0 is slidably keyed on the lower end ofthe shaft Il, Figure 1.

A pulley I3 is rigidly connected to the shiftable clutch section or coneI2 and both pulley and cone lare-freeA to revolve in a operatingorshifting member./I,4,Lbutany movementvof. the operatingmember';A orshifter I4 in line with the axis of the shaft III-,will either raise orlower the'cone I2 and the pulleyffl3, Figure 1.

A spring I5-acts to normally keep the clutchsection or cone,.l2 engagedwith the section or pan Ill, and in order to disengage them the operatormust depress a pedal I6 of a lever I1, thus raising a connecting linkI8, the upper end of which is connected to the rear arm of the shiftingmember I4; therefore, the member I4 is raised and carries the pulley I3and the cone I2 with it, thus releasing the engagement between theclutch section or cone I2 and the section or pan I'ILFigure 1. Idlerpulleys, as IB, are rotatably mounted on a forward projection of themember I4 and move up .and down with said member, thus causing a beltI9, which runs over a pulley 20 on the motor shaft, the pulley' I3 andthe idiers lal to tighten when the idler pulleys vI 8* are raised and toloosen when they are lowered. In this manner, the pulley 20 on the endof the motor shaft is caused to drive the pulley I3 when the shiftingmember I4 is raised and is allowed to revolve freely when the shiftingmember I4 is lowered, Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows the member I4 raised with the o cone I2 disengaged fromthe pan or section lIl) V/ and the belt I9 tightened, and thus providinga driving connection between the pulley 20 and the pulley I 3 forpurposes later described.

The shaft II is rotatablymounted in bearings 2I and 22 mounted in therear compartment of the casing I and the upper 4end of the shaft I Iterminates in a universal joint 23.' The shaft II extends upward from alower compartment 44? of the casing through the upright rear compartment44. ,Y I 'I'he universal joint 23 connects the shaft I I with anothershaft24, and onthe upper end of the shaft 24 is mounted a bevel gear 25which engages with another bevel gear 26.' The latter 5 gear is mountedon a shaft 21said shaft 21 and shaft 24 both terminating in an upperbearing 29 located .at the top of the casing I, 4Figure 1.

The shaft 21 is retained in place in any suitable manner, here shown forthe purpose of illus- V tration, by the set screw, which engages in agroove in the shaft 21 and prevents said shaft from dropping out of thebearing 28, Figure 1.

Another universal joint 30 is located on the 'lower end of -the shaft 21and connects said shaft with a shaft 3|, the upper end of an uprightshaft w container.

on the lower end ofwhich an agitator 32 is o mounted, so that any motionofthe shaft 3l is transmitted directly to said agitator 32, Figure 1.The agitator is thus supported from above or suspended, so as to seekits own axis, when ro- 5 tating, and eliminate vibration..v I

The unit 3, shaft 4, disk 5 connecting rod 8, clutch pan I0 and cone I2constitute one set of motion transmitting means between the motor andthe motion transmitting member of shaft 10 II to transmit an oscillatingwashing movement to the agitator 32. The belt I9 and pulleys constituteanother set for transmitting a high extracting speed to the agitator andclothes container or basket clutched to the agitator.

Rotatably mounted at the bottom of the agitator 32 is an extractorbasket and clothescontainer 33, and the bottom of said basket is adaptedto engage with a clutch member 34 when the clutch-member 34 is held in araised position by 20 means of a lever 35, as shown-in Figure l.

When the basket 33 is heldin this position, the member 34 engages withthe jaws or projections 36 on the'bottom of the basket, thusmaintainingthe basket inthe position, as shown in Figure 1, 25 andpreventing any oscillation or rotation about its axis. However, it willbe noted that with the basket in this position, the agitator 32 canoscillate freely. 'I

On a stem 31-of the member 34 is mounted a 30 drain valve or plate 38held in place by the pin 39, and it will be noted that when the member34 is raised by the lever 35 and the basket 33 is held in the cleaningposition, that is, with the agitator 32 free to oscillate, the pin 39presses the plate 35 33'up against the bottom surface 4I) ofthecontainer 4I, and thus cleaning liquid is kept in the washing container4I during the washing operation.

leasing the latch 42, then the valve plate 39 is allowed to drop awayfrom the surface 40 and expose the opening 43, then the cleansing fluidcontained in the container 4I can fiow down into the lower container 44,and at the same time,.the basket 33 will be allowed to drop verticallyuntil pins or jaws 45 on the bottom thereof engage with the holes 46yin. a clutch plate rigid with and spaced from the lower side oftheagitator32 and 1 also spaced from the lower side or bottom of the 50container 33, and now the agitator 32 and the basket 33 are lockedtogether and will move about an axis as ay single unit for purposespresently described, Figures 1 and 6.

The member 34 constitutes a clutch operable to 55 raise and lower thecontainer or basket, and when 'raised, to hold the basket from movementabout its axis during oscillating of the agitator 32, because of themember 34 being interlocked with the jaws 36 in the bottom of thecontainer 33. 50 'Ihe pins or jaws 45 and the holes 46 -in the clutchplate, rigid with the agitator, constitute av clutch operable to lockthe container 33 and agitator 32 together` to rotate as a unit, when thecontainer is dropped to disengage the clutch 55 member 34 from the jaws36 on the bottom of the These two clutch means are operative alternatelyby the lever 35. When thehandle end of the lever 35 is depressed, thememlber 34 is elevated and also elevates the con- 70 tainer 33, and themember 34 engages the jaws 35 on the bottom of the container 33. Thislifting` movement disengages the jaws or pins'45 'from the holes 46 ofthe clutch plate depending from Athe agitator 32. Lifting of the handleend of the 75 However, when the lever 35 is released by re. n

lever 35 lowers the clutchmember 34, releases it from the jaws36,permits the container' 33 toA drop, and the'pins or Ajaws 45 to enterthe holes 46 of the clutch plate depending from the agithe lever 35 andthe pedal lever'II, so that when the lever is depressed to tighten thebelt I9 and open the clutch 4consisting of the sections III, I2,

the latch 42 will be released. permitting the drain valve, 38 to openand causing the basket 33 to be clutched to the agitator. The connectionis here shown as a link 42m connected to the latch and the lever I1, thelink being elastic or having a spring 42b therein.4 In Figure l, thespring has stretched to a point where it is about to tripthe' latch 42with a snap action. y

Handles, as H, 'are aixed to the doors, as 4'I,

to' permit the operator to place -articles to be.

cleaned in, and remove them from, the basket 33, Figure 1. Thecompartment 44 has a drain valve 5I operable in any well known manner,and also a valve controlled by-pass 52 leading therefrom into thewashing compartment 4I, the by-pass having a motor driven pump 54therein operable from the shaft of the motor' 2. When the valve 52B inthe by-passb'is closed, the pump merely o I4 with it. The lsp'rlng I5assists this motion, and

the cone I2 is caused to engage with the pan I0 andat the same time theidler pulleys I8 are also lowered and the tension' on the belt I9 isreleased, thus disconnecting the driving effect of the pulley 20 withthe pulley -I3, Figure 1.

'Ihe motor is' now started, and causes the disk 5 Since the basket 33 isheld up in the position,

as shown, by the member .34, said basket is now heldstationary, and theagitator 32 is'freeto agitate and thus perform the cleansing action onthe articles being cleaned, Figure 1.

After the cleaning cycle has been completed, the operator stops 'themotor 2 and releases the latch 42, thus connecting the basket 33 withthe agitator 32 and allowing the cleaning fluid to flow out ofthe'container 4I into the container 44, as

previously described, Figure 1, or he may depress If the motor is i thepedal I'I through the link 42a. not stopped, the depression of the pedallever Il will throw out the clutch sections IG and I2, tighten the beltI9, and clutch the basket 33 to the agitator 32 for the extractingoperation.

The changing of the cleaning iluid from the container 4I down to thecontainer tends to lower the 'center of 'gravity of the entire unit anding member.

prepares the machine for the extracting cycle .by further stabilizing itagainst' any possible extractor vibration, Yand the operator now` de-`presses the pedal I6, until itis locked in place by thelatch 49,Figure 1. l' v 'Ihis movement of the pedal 6 `causes the rear arm ofthe'lever II to rise, thus raising the link I3 and themember I4,disengaging the cone I2 from the pan 'III-'." The idler pulleys I8 arealso raised, thus taking .up any slack in the belt I9 and producing atension vin the same, and the pulley 20 now has a driving connectionthrough the belt I9 with the pulley I3, Figure l.v

With the motor 2 running, the pulley 20 drives the pulley I3 in a rotarymotion, and this motion is transferred through the shafts II and -24 andthe gears 25 v'and 26 and the shaft 3l, to the agitator 32, and, sincethe agitator 32 is locked together with the basket 33, the rotary motionis transmitted finally to the extractor basket 33 and thus the cleaningfiuidleft in the articles being cleaned by the cleaning cycle thrown outthrough the holes, as 50, in the extractor basket 33, Figure l.

Since the agitator 32 andthe basket 33, during 4the extraction cycle arefree tovhang on the shaft 3l, as a` unit, then; by means of theuniversal joint 30, they are allowed to swing. and seek any new axis ofrotation, due to the articles being not uniformly arranged in the basket33, Figure l. r

In Figure 5, al free wheeling? or over-running clutch FW is provided inthe pulley 20, in order to further eliminate any vibration oftheextractor 32l being carried back to the motor 2, and thus set-up aseries of vibration frequencies Working against the driving impulses o-fthe motor 2. When the extraction cycle is completed, the operator cutsoff the motorjcurrent and releases the pedal I'I, by depressingthe latch49, thus engaging the clutches I2 and I0, said clutches now acting as abrake to stop the extractor. Any

. free wheeling or over-running clutch may be used and the constructionof the over-running .clutch forms no part o! the invention. The freewheel ing clutch is here shown diagrammatically and the operation is'asfollows: With the parts run-v ning in the direction of, the arrows andthe inner part being.` the 'driver, the rotation of the inner part movesthe shiftable roller R forwardly, with respect to the directionofrotation, in the contractedspace between a cam C on one side of theouter member and the periphery of the hub of the inner member, causingthe inner member to drive the outer member. The roller is urged intowedging position, that is, the contracted portion of said space, by aspring S. When the outer When, howtor Yextending into the container, thecontainer I and the agitator being mounted to move about a common axis,actuating means including a motor,

motion transmitting means between the. motor and the agitator andinterchangeable operable to vtransmit oscillating and rotary movement tothe agitator, meansfforV controlling the operation of the motiontransmitting means, means operable to clutch the agitator and thecontainer together,

whereby the container moves about an axis, as `a unit, with theagitator, and also operable, so that the container is held stationaryduring the movement of the agitator, and a drain valve for the.compartment operable by the last means to closed'position, when the lastmeans is. operated to hold the container stationary.

2. In a washing apparatus, a compartment for receiving a washing liquid,a clothes container in the container together.

set operating through said members to oscillate 3. In a washingapparatus, an upright casing having a first compartment for receiving awashing liquid, asecond and a third compartment in the lower portion ofthe casing, and a rear compartment extending upwardly along the firstcompartment from the third lower compartment, a clothes container in thefirst compartment, and an agitator extending into the container, meansfor suspending the agitator lfrom the top of .the casing including aimiversal joint, a motor mounted in the third compartment, motiontransmitting members extending through the rear comvpa'rtment and intothe. first compartment and connected to the suspending means for theagitator, two sets of motion transmitting means be- -tween the motor andone of said members, one

thek agitator and the other through said members to rotate the agitator,means operable `to select either one or the other of the sets of motiontransmitting means, and means operable into one positionto clutch theagitator andthe container together, whereby they move about the axis ofthe agitator as a unit, and into another position to hold the containerstationary, and a valve controlled passage between the first compartmentand the second compartment. I

4. In a washing apparatus, a casing having an upright ca sing having afirst compartment for receivng a Washing liquid, a second and a lthirdcompartment in the lower portion of the casing, and a rear compartmentextending K upwardly along the first compartment from the third lowercompartment, a' clothes container` in the first compartment and anagitatorextending into theA y container, means for suspending theagitator from the top of the casing including a universall joint, a

motor mounted in the third compartment, motion transmitting membersextending through the rear compartment and into the first compartmentand connected to the suspending means for the-agl tator, two sets ofmotion transmitting means between the motor and one` of said members,oney set' operating through said members to oscillate the agitator andthe other to rotate the agitator through said umembers, means operableto select either one or the other of the sets'l of motion transmittingmeans, and clutch means operable into one position to clutch theagitator and the container together, whereby they move about an axis asa unit and into another position to hold the container stationary, anoperating element for the clutch means, and a drain passage between thefirst and second compartments, and a valve for controlling said passageoperable by said element, to open said passage awhen the clutch means isoperated to a position to clutch the container and the agitator togetheras a unit.

HERBERT E. PAGE.

